Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Background Perceived supervisor support (PSS) has been consistently associated with favorable mental health and work-related outcomes. Supervisors’ supportive behaviors, however, may be shaped not only by individual characteristics but also by the extent to which supervisors perceive support from their organization. Empirical evidence examining the association between supervisors’ perceived organizational support (POS) and employees’ PSS using supervisor–employee linked data is still limited. In addition, it is unclear whether structural characteristics of supervisory roles, such as span of control, influence this association. The present study examined the association between supervisors’ POS and employees’ PSS and tested whether span of control modifies this relationship using multilevel supervisor–employee linked data. Methods This cross-sectional study used questionnaire survey data collected from a Japanese manufacturing company. Supervisor–employee relationships were identified using organizational codes and position information. The analytic sample comprised 2,412 employees nested within 452 supervisors. Supervisors’ POS and employees’ PSS were assessed using validated Japanese versions of established scales. Multilevel linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between supervisors’ POS and employees’ PSS, accounting for the nested data structure. Span of control was included as a supervisor-level structural variable and tested as a potential moderator. Results Supervisors’ POS was positively associated with employees’ PSS (B = 0.082, 95% CI: 0.017 to 0.148). Span of control was independently and negatively associated with employees’ PSS (B = − 0.014, 95% CI: −0.022 to − 0.006). However, the interaction between supervisors’ POS and span of control was not statistically significant (B = − 0.001, 95% CI: −0.008 to 0.006), indicating that span of control did not modify the association between supervisors’ POS and employees’ PSS. Conclusions Supervisors who perceive higher organizational support tend to be perceived as more supportive by their employees. This association appears to be relatively stable across different levels of span of control, suggesting that organizational support for supervisors may play an important role in fostering supportive supervisory relationships. From a practical perspective, these findings highlight the importance of organizational initiatives that enhance supervisors’ POS as a potential means of supporting employees’ psychosocial well-being at work and supporting work productivity.</p>